What is it? The oldest hotel in the Dutch capital and a designated national heritage site, it’s here in the old banquet hall that Rembrandt’s The Night Watch – one of the world’s most famous paintings – was first displayed. The entire hotel is modelled after the Dutch master, notably so in the on-site restaurant, Omber. The lobby is opulent with a huge crystal chandelier, ornate gold swirls bordering the walls and enormous vases of flowers. The canal-facing suites are the perfect mix of understated and sophisticated, simply decorated with quality furniture. The best bit? The huge marble-floored bathrooms with his-and-hers sinks and a free-standing tub.
Why go? Location-wise, you couldn’t really do better: the hotel takes up an entire corner of the canal, and it’s minutes away from Dam Square, De 9 Straatjes, and, of course, the Rembrandt House Museum, where the Dutch master lived and worked. The hotel’s sprawling Neo-Renaissance building is just as worthy of a photo as all those classic skinny canal houses.